The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1887-01-19
WAY DOWN SOUTH.
BILL NYE TALKS To THE WORLD FROM AsHE-
VILE, y.

told the gamekeeper not 10 monkey with
the preserves and came here, where am
now writing. At first it seemed odd to
me that should be writing from where
! now am, but the more | think it over
the better ! am reeonciled to it, for what
better place can man select from which
to write letter than the point where he
il located at the time
Asheville is an enterprising cosmopoli-
tan city Of SIX or seven thousand people
and visiting population during te sea-
son of sixty thousand more 1t is situa-
ted in the picturesque valley of the
French Brood, and between the Blue
Ridge and the Alleghenies. Asheville
Is the metropolis of Western North Caro-
lima, and has no mpetition nearer than
Knoxville, Tenn, leo miles away, and, in
fact, not in any way competin with Ash
eyille, for it is in another county. alto
gether
This region of country Is from 1000
to 1000 feet above sea level and is, in
fact, mountain region with a southern
exposure
Strange stories are told here Of people
who came five, ten, twenty or more years
ago, with view of dying here. but who
afterwards decided to live on. and thev
are living yet, One man who was a sur
viyor Of the Samso-Philistine war. if am
not mistaken, came here at last from the
mouth Of the Amazon. full of malaria.
He had been kind Of down in the
mouth of the Amazon for some years,
and they say his liver looked like rub
Der doOr-mat, and his skin was ike the
cover of 4 sun-kissed ham
He picked up his spirits here and re-
covered his youth, and though he was
very old when he came. he Is still older
now and in pretty good health. | went
to see him the other day. He is 50 old
that there is moss on the north side Of
him, and hieroglyphies on his feet When
made some facetious remarks 10 him,
and told him a story d recently ac-
quired he frightened up good deal and
emitted dry, cackling laugh ike xylo-
phone, and said that he believed he en-
joyed that story just as well as ne did
when they used to tell it in the rifle pits
in front Of Troy.
He said he liked Asheville very much,
indeed
Asheville Is called the Switzerland of
America. 1t has been my blessed privi-
lege during the past twenty years to view
nearly all the SwitzerIands of America
that are here, but this Is fully the equal,
if not the superior of any ofthem.
You can climb to the top Of Beaucatch-
er Mountain aud see beautiful sight in
any direction and on most any day Of the
year. Everywhere the eye rests on a
broad sweep of dark-blae climate, Up
in the gorges, under the whispering pines
along the rhodsdeBdron bordered mar
giEs Of the swannOnoa, or the French
Brood, out through the Gap, and down
the thousand mountain brooks, you will
find enough climate in 20 minutes to last
u week,
The chief products Of Western North
Carolina, are smoking tobacco and eli
ma e. If you do not ike the climate you
can keep yourself on the smoking to-
bacco.
Here you viii find old Mr.. Ozone with
his coat off and feather duster in his
hand, prepared to dust the cobwebs
the consumptive. There is enough eli
mate wasted here every year to supply a
city the size Of Chicago. Moreover, there
Is now handsome hotel called the Bat
terry Pdrk-that has been full ever since
it was built. and You can eeI good saddle
horses, Carriages or donkeys at reasona-
bic rates IN town.
The donkey Is quite a feature of this
country, as he Is apt to he OF moantain
countries, i. fact have never associates
with more GENIAL, urbane or refined
donkey than We have here. He is gen.
orally soft, mouse color. about nine
hands high and delights in making
small, elongated footprints on the sands
of time
This small animal of the mountains is
frequently accompanied by robust but
poorly a,odRlated voice 1t is very pa
/ thetic, aud generally needs little oil on
H. The North Carolina donkey. like the
Colorado burro, lives to great age He
[ then dies
Asheyille has sI.-sHitd water works,
SUPPLYING tirst-class water to those who
wish to use this popular fluid electric
I lights all over the city. street railway
organized with its money put up 10 cen
struct it next summer, f.ssl-elass churches
schools and oollsges, well supplied mar
| kets with moderate prices, and lots of
genuine attractions beside the climate,
/ Fuel and whisky are about the came ll,at
/ they Ire in Chicago. 81 a man need not
suffer here provided he has moderate
/. income.
/ The sportsmen mat sport here with i'm
/ punity, and the angler may also triangu-
( lar relaxation.
( Moonshine whisky is also produced
here in the mountains, though IN crude
way, and very quietly None of the
moonshiners advertise much in the pa.
pefs. They do not care for big run Of
trade, but seem content to remain in OBJ
scuriiy Sometimes, however, their work
attracts the attention of prominent peo-
pie who come oas aad caA on them with
skos guns and regrets.
Then the mOonshiner does his distil
lery up in a napkia, and goes away intc
the primeyal forests Some years ago d
party of revenue officers hunted out Ons
of these amateur distillers and chased
him up the side of the mountain, where
they surrounded and captured him with
his distillery on his back, like Babcocl
fire extinguisher, and still warm.
The officer, in his report of the capture
referred to it as still hunt, whereupor
his commission was promptly revoked
The man who tries TO have any fun with
the present administration must have hi
resignation where he can put his hanC
on it at moments warning
BILL NYE-
h General Hnra q P.lrfer s.Ivs Miss L iher